The Canadian government recently announced that the CAN+ Visa program will now be open to Indian nationals, expediting travel from India to Canada.

Citizenship and Immigration Minister (CIC) Chris Alexander, currently in India promoting Canada-India relations, made the exciting announcement on July 7th. Alexander stated that the CAN+ program would be “making it faster and easier for Indians to come to Canada to do business, visit family and friends, or to bolster Canada’s tourism industry.” India now joins Mexico and China on the list of countries for which the CAN+ expedited visa processing is available.

The CAN+ program will allow Indian nationals who have visited Canada or the United States at least once in the past ten years to qualify for expedited visa processing, which requires the presentation of fewer documents in addition to the reduced wait times. This express option will now be available for business travellers, students travelling to Canada to study at a Canadian institution, and tourists travelling with a travel agency recognized by the Canadian embassy.

After a very successful pilot program, boasting a 95% approval rating for visas and a speedy 5 day waiting period for visa processing, the CAN+ program in India is being made a permanent fixture of Canadian immigration.

The program is also expected to increase visa processing times for all Indian nationals, including those not using the CAN+ program, as the expedited processing under this program should free up immigration officials to process other files in a more timely fashion.

In a news release about the new program, Chris Alexander said that his government “is committed to facilitating trade and travel for genuine visitors and business people from India who contribute positively to the Canadian economy. […] We value our strong relationship with India and this initiative will further enhance our economic and cultural ties.”

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